


Stacking the Odds

by scy



Category: Lucifer (Comic), Supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-01
Updated: 2010-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-05 14:11:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scy/pseuds/scy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Many futures approach and some of them attract attention</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stacking the Odds

**Author's Note:**

> A number of people encouraged this, and if you think you had something to do with it, you probably did.

It could have been part of a plan either Yahweh's or the Morningstar's, Castiel didn't know for certain who was responsible. But when he arrived to a place where the sun covered the land and every shadow fled before it, he found a figure was seated in the small restaurant where Castiel had agreed to find the Winchesters and knew he had been expected.

Eons had passed since Castiel had last seen his Fallen brother and he had thought that stewardship of Hell would have changed him, but as ever, Lucifer defied convention.

"You cannot be here," Castiel said.

"If angels are forbidden from walking on the earth, then both of us are flouting His Laws," Lucifer said and took another sip from his cup. "You may want to sit down, Castiel, the food is not entirely abysmal and is up to someone's standards, if not my own."

"I am here to carry out the wishes of the Lord," Castiel said, and his deliberate omission did not go unnoticed.

"It's not as though by saying his name he will appear and strike you down for talking to me," Lucifer said, smiling like he didn't know that he was doing wrong. Only, Castiel was aware of just how deceitful Lucifer could be and how Uriel said that he was fully aware of his sins and savored every one of them. "Moreover, you are attracting the attention of the patrons, and I wouldn't think you wanted any of them to interfere."

Castiel sat down, as he would prefer not to see innocent lives ended needlessly. He knew that the Winchesters were not far behind him, and fought the irrational urge to look over his should and see if he could make them out on the horizon.

"Your charge approaches," Lucifer said, and Castiel narrowed his eyes.

"You are not to taint him."

"No mortal has ever needed my guidance in sullying their own soul," Lucifer said.

"That does not mean you would not take pleasure in ruining this one," Castiel said.

It wasn't right that someone who had Fallen so far from grace should still laugh like he was a part of it, and Castiel shivered.

"I say again, the Winchesters will be here soon, and you cannot be in this place when they arrive."

Lucifer shook his head. "You say that they travel together but their roads have begun to diverge."

"We have seen to it that such a thing will not happen again," Castiel said, coming short of making a vow.

"When you break a bone, it may heal, but it will never be quite as strong," Lucifer said. "The two pieces will know each other as being strangers."

"That is not what these men will endure," Castiel said.

"It already is. One chooses a demon as company and hunts them with powers they call their own, and the other was in their midst and has proven that he is always something they should fear." Lucifer said and nodded over Castiel's shoulder. "The Winchesters cometh."

Castiel did not wave to Sam or Dean, it was beneath the dignity of an angel to be so extravagant, but he wanted to know how to warn them off without shouting that they should beware. Since he did not know how, they saw him and came up to the table, pausing at the sight of the stranger sitting across from Castiel.

"Found a friend?" Dean asked.

"No," Castiel said.

"If we're interrupting, we can meet you later," Sam said, and that got a reaction from Lucifer.

"What he has to tell you is of greater urgency than your rendezvous with Ruby."

Sam jerked upright, and barely kept himself from pulling a weapon.

Castiel noticed that Dean was on alert as well, but that he looked to Castiel to see whether he should do the same as Sam and kept his composure.

"How do you know about us, and Ruby?" Dean asked, making a careful distinction that caught Sam's attention but that he ignored.

"We hear the same things, and some are obvious to anyone who has come across your sort before," Lucifer said.

"Now that you mention it, you look kind of familiar," Dean said, and Sam glanced over at him.

"I do," Lucifer said, and gestured at the empty seats. "It will come to you."

Castiel moved next to Lucifer as he would rather he be closer to the Morningstar than the Winchesters, and they sat down opposite.

"So what's so important that we had to drive all the way out here?" Dean asked, eyes on Castiel. Sam wasn't quite as belligerent, but he didn't seem much more at ease.

"Are you sure we should be talking about the business in front of him?" He pointed at Lucifer.

"It will do no harm." No more than Castiel could see happening if he attempted to force the issue, and it was possible that the presence of the Morningstar was not a sign of catastrophe, although he could not yet see how.

"He's good people?" Dean asked.

"No, he is not, in either sense," Castiel said, and raised a hand. "But that has no bearing on what we must speak of."

"Okay." Dean still gave Lucifer evaluating glances, trying to determine something that Castiel could not make out, and gave Castiel the rest of his attention.

"Lilith has made her intent plain. She has sent a portion of her army to each of the remaining Seals and is determined on eliminating them before the season changes."

"We already knew that, Lilith's a major bitch, wants to end the world, why are you freaking out because she upped the timetable?" Dean asked.

Castiel didn't turn to see if Lucifer was finding humor in the imminent apocalypse, he guessed that to be the case and had no patience for seeing proof of it.

"She has never been happy with what Yahweh gave her, and no role has pleased her." He thought about the Lilim, scores of her bastard offspring that had been abandoned too often to know that the hand outstretched toward them would hurt sooner than help them. "Lilith has always had offspring on Earth, those that have been awaiting their moment to rise against the humans they feel have usurped their place in Creation."

"You think that this is going to bring them out," Sam said.

"There have been many more demons willing to set themselves against you," Castiel said.

"Yeah," Dean said. "And what's he got to do with all of this? Is he another one of your cronies?"

Lucifer cleared his throat and a waitress appeared at the table with a platter and slices of pie arranged on it. "On the house," she said, eyes fixed on Lucifer and then walked quickly away.

"Was that necessary?" Castiel asked.

"Have a piece," Lucifer said and portioned off a serving for each of them.

"Apple pie?" Dean asked.

Lucifer smiled and took a bite.

"This is in poor taste," Castiel said, refusing to pick up his fork.

"It's actually pretty good," Dean said, and Sam winced.

"Dean."

"What? It's not like he could have put something in it, we had our eyes on him the whole time."

"There are other ways to infuse a fruit with sin," Castiel said, and glared at Lucifer.

"Some would argue that being the first to ask the question is not a reason to be punished."

"Then they have asked the wrong questions," Castiel said.

"Okay, you two need to stop talking over our heads, it's starting to get annoying," Dean said,

"You're not a demon," Sam said. "I would be able to tell, but you're not human either. So where did you come from, and what do you want from us?"

"That depends on what you Winchesters plan to do," Lucifer said.

"Yeah? What if we aren't interesting in going along with your agenda?"

"Then you will be aiding Lilith in the destruction of this world," Lucifer said. "I imagine the loss of life will be objectionable to some."

"Not to you?"

Lucifer gestured to the pie. "You should have some, Samuel, remind yourself of the simpler pleasures."

"I don't have time for this crap."

"That is your problem. You think that everything has to be done immediately."

"I won't be doing this forever," Sam said. "This is not going to be my life's work."

"Why is it you alone that has to take on this task?"

"Because there's evil out there, and I can stop it," Sam said, putting his elbows on the table, intensity turned toward Lucifer.

Dean mirrored Sam in reverse, leaning back as his brother moved closer. His gaze was concerned, and he had reason to be, both Castiel and Lucifer recognized the younger Winchester's sentiments, and they were the most dangerous, that of pure belief.

"You can't do something like that alone," Castiel said.

"I'm not."

"Yeah, you've got Ruby," Dean said.

"She's been helping me, Dean."

"I know, that's what you've both said."

"Not now," Sam said. Not in front of Castiel, who wasn't supposed to know that the brothers were at odds, and especially not when there was a stranger they weren't sure of.

"You shouldn't trust her," Castiel said. "Demons have a single objective and it does not involve the betterment of mankind."

"Save it," Sam said, and Castiel didn't have to look to the side to know that Lucifer was watching all of this and learning more than he should about the Winchesters.

"Don't you want to tell me what I need to be doing?" Sam asked him.

"You need to make your own choices."

"Thank you," Sam said.

"No one can say that they are outside the Lord's plan," Castiel said. "To profess omniscience is to dare blasphemy."

"If God knows everything we're going to do, then what's the point?" Dean asked. "All of this is going to happen a certain way? Why do anything at all?"

"Because you have a purpose."

"Yeah, right."

"To deviate from that would be dangerous for both of you," Castiel said.

"Unless that is what Yahweh intends," Lucifer said. "Pitting brother against brother is rather classic and it does give the masses a clear delineation of perspective."

"You sound like you know what that means," Sam said.

"Like he's seen it before," Dean said flatly. "I remember what you were calling yourself the last time I saw you."

"That was not deceit, after all, it is one of my names," Lucifer said.

"I thought you couldn't walk through the gates, that there was some kind of special pass to come upstairs, something like you would blow all the fuses."

"I was the master of the lower realms, their boundaries have never been closed to me."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"Don't you see it, Sam? He's not a demon, Castiel, our angel, is freaked out by him, and he gave me frigging apple pie. Who does that sound like?"

"Your angel?" Castiel asked, and smiled wider than he should in pleasure.

"Well, aren't you, kind of?" Dean asked.

"After a fashion."

"Dean, what's going on?"

"Samuel," Castiel said, "this is the Lightbringer."

"Lucifer," Sam said. "The Devil."

"Lux, Samael, the Morningstar," Dean went on. "Whatever you call him, he's sitting here having pie with us."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"You might say I am taking an interest," Lucifer said.

"In us?"

"Among other things."

Castiel abruptly became aware of several elements that had troubled him. "Lilith is impinging on your territory."

Lucifer was unimpressed. "The lack of imagination among the angelic ranks is astounding. Lilith has aspirations beyond destroying the Seals, her quarrel is not with man, but with Yahweh."

"She seeks to storm the Silver City," Castiel said, and he felt his wings rise involuntarily. "That is impossible."

"You said the same thing about Lucifer being able to take a stroll whenever he wanted to, and I don't see anything stopping him," Dean said.

"Lilith has only a quarter of Hell's denizens under her command, she cannot hope to overcome the thrones."

"Her obsession has consumed what little common sense she once had," Lucifer said. "Nothing else holds her attention but the eradication of everything in this Creation."

"So she's nuts," Dean said.

"A case can be made that a righteous mission and obsession are very narrowly separated by intent," Castiel said and looked at Sam, who refused to back down.

"And how are you gonna stop her?" Sam asked. "Alistair was just a demon, okay, tougher than the ones we've seen, but you nearly got killed when you fought him."

"Alistair was a minor Lord of Hell," Castiel said.

"Minor."

"Yes."

"Meaning that Lilith has a whole lot more juice and is going to fry all of us the moment she gets a chance," Dean said.

"In her true form, she is much more powerful than a lower level angel," Castiel said.

"So what are we supposed to do against her?" Sam asked.

"The weapons you will wield are beyond her understanding," Castiel said.

"Being nicer than the alternative is not gonna make her back down."

"Reinforcing a statement is an effective measure against further objections," Lucifer said.

Dean rolled his eyes. "There's a class, right? How to talk forever and not say a single damn thing. For what it's worth, you both passed."

Castiel blinked at him, and marveled that anyone could be so disrespectful and yet somehow charming at the same time.

"Dean, eat your pie," Sam said, picking up on the distinct possibility that Dean was going to keep talking until Lucifer lost patience. In retaliation, his brother resumed eating, and that almost worse than him goading the Devil.

Castiel didn't know anyone could eat pie suggestively, but without prompting, Lucifer and Dean seem to be trying to outdo one another. Sam and Castiel stared at them both for a moment in consternation, and then tried to ignore it.

"How are you gonna help us if you won't do anything?" Sam asked. "If that's even what you're doing."

"There aren't only two sides in a war," Lucifer said.

"Yes, there are, that's sort of the definition," Sam said and even knowing Lucifer was sitting across the table wasn't enough to keep him from challenging everything he didn't want to hear.

"You think you know how to straddle a line, Samuel? You're too blind to see that gray exists in other places as well."

"There's Lilith and everybody else," Sam said.

"Where do you stand?" Castiel asked, because it had to be voiced.

"Against her," Sam said.

"With angels who are under orders to smite you along with her?"

"If Lucifer sees it too," Dean said. "You might want to think about that one."

"It's what he does, Dean, he puts doubts in your mind and makes you forget who you are."

"The way you've been acting, it doesn't take a devil to tell me that you're not the same."

"No, I'm better than I was," Sam said, staring hard at Dean, trying to make him understand something that he was sure of.

"Right, and if the man upstairs has a problem with what you're doing, then he can just shove it, that's right?" Dean asked.

"I just know what's going on, Dean."

"And the Lord does not?" Castiel asked.

"Being all knowing speaks for itself," Lucifer said.

"Why don't you agree with me?" Sam asked. "I'm saving people, getting rid of demons, going good."

"Yeah, and either you're doing it wrong, or they just don't want you going over quotas," Dean said. "Which is it?" he asked Castiel and Lucifer.

"There have not been specific reasons given," Castiel said. "We only know that what you are doing is against the will of the Lord."

"And why aren't you doing something instead?" Sam asked. "Demons are everywhere, people are getting killed, and none of this bothers you?"

"The death of innocents is always disturbing," Castiel said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't leave this up to us, or stop complaining when we do something about it."

"That is not up to us to decide," Castiel said. "We are given the Word, and that is what we must follow."

"Not all of you," Sam said, and Castiel shook his head.

"That you are even making that distinction is troubling."

Dean had been getting increasingly tense, and his fork made a sharp noise as he chased the last pieces of pie around his plate.

Lucifer had been watching him very closely in a way that sat uneasily with Castiel. When the pie was gone, the waitress put another piece in front of Dean.

"You saying I need to be fattened up?" Dean asked. "Seems to me that Lilith isn't that picky about her meat."

"Nor her mates," Lucifer said and Dean grimaced.

"Don't tell me that."

"She won't get that chance," Sam said.

"On the contrary, it is likely that Dean will be the bone that both of you covet," Lucifer said.

"But not you," Dean said.

"I am not affiliated with either side," Lucifer said.

"You're what, the third option?"

"In the simplest terms, yes."

"You want us to go along with you?" Dean asked.

"I have no aspirations in a struggle that does not interfere with my own plans, but these matters rarely remain confined to their instigators."

"So this is your pitch," Sam said.

"No," Lucifer said. "I have no pressing need of your presence."

"You can take us or not, but if this gets bad and starts to get on your nerves, we're all getting roasted," Dean said.

Lucifer seemed to find Dean's interpretation amusing but not offensive, and smiled only at him. "Yes."

"Will Lilith try and take you out if she catches on that you don't care for her little revolution?"

"She is strong willed," Castiel. He was learning that trying to frighten the Winchesters into obeying was largely ineffective, as they had not yet divorced themselves from the rest of humanity, and he was not certain he would entirely welcome a shift in their thinking.

Dean smirked. "More players on the board."

The mere idea of Lucifer entering into this conflict made Castiel shudder, but he knew his duty and posed the question. "What do you expect Heaven to grant you?"

"If such a thing comes to pass, some payment will be given, but the terms will remain undisclosed for the time being." Lucifer stared hard at Sam. "Not all who expect to pay will be responsible for the debt."

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, and glanced at Dean, who was meeting Lucifer's eyes without fear.

"Decide what price you are willing to settle on," Lucifer said. "Before it is demanded of you."

Lucifer got to his feet and Castiel as well as the Winchesters watched him go, sitting together, but with the knowledge of what they were lacking resting heavily on their shoulders.

The waitress stated at Lucifer as he passed and barely managed to compose herself to smile with a shaky professionalism. "You hurry back soon."

"Quite possibly," Lucifer said, and as he stepped outside, there was flash of searing light, and wing beats that left nothing untouched in their wake.


End file.
